Prepared for anything: Holleyman joins USA Department of Emergency Medicine

By Lindsay Hughes
lahughes@health.southalabama.edu

Daniel Holleyman, M.D., is perfectly suited for his role in the emergency department.

As a medical sergeant on a Special Forces A-Team in the U.S. Army, Holleyman was responsible for the medical care and readiness of his team members. During pre-mission training and while deployed in Afghanistan, he often worked in austere environments and under stressful conditions.

“My time as an Army medic definitely pushed me toward the action and unpredictability of the emergency department,” said Holleyman, an emergency medicine physician with USA Health and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. “I also love the variety of pathology that we get to care for in emergency medicine.”

Holleyman said the most rewarding aspects of his job are also the reasons he chose emergency medicine. “We get to care for all people, whether rich or poor, young or old,” he said. “We get to be there for a patient on what is likely one of the worst days of his or her life. People come to us because they are very sick or very injured. To be there to help them and give them hope is pretty awesome.”

After earning his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, Holleyman completed his residency training in emergency medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.

His research interests include “wilderness medicine,” which is medical care provided in a resource-limited setting. “I enjoy this aspect of medicine. It provides us with lessons that can be used throughout the hospital, on a trans-pacific flight, during hurricane relief, or during an active shooter scenario, among other things,” he said.

He is also interested in evidence-based medicine and knowledge transaction, which involves the critical appraisal of medical literature as well as the dissemination and implementation of new ideas.